Shawn shrugs as he takes a water bottle from Ivy. He murmurs a thanks, and then to Mason, he says, “Lost him to a sea of girls when we got off stage.”

Mason shakes his head, but I don’t miss the little affectionate eye roll before he takes a big swig of his water. It’s almost enough to distract me from the pit that’s formed in my stomach, and only seems to be growing as Shawn’s words fully register.

The beers having finally caught up to me, and needing a fucking moment to finally collect myself, I ask them where the bathrooms are.

Mason points down the narrow hall next to the bar. A sign reading Employees Only hangs crookedly from above. “Just use the one down there. I’m sure the line is ridiculous right now.”

Nodding, I make my way over, refusing to let my eyes wander too much.

My chest feels achy as I go about my business, something akin to anticipation rolling through my nerve-endings. I notice the bathroom door’s lock is broken, but I hardly spare it a glance as I make my way toward the single urinal.

Once finished, I’m at the sink washing my hands when a noise sounds from outside. A thud, followed by a giggle.

I have just enough time to turn off the faucet when the door behind me swings open, banging against the wall as two people stumble in. Limbs and lips interlocked, they don’t notice me right away.

The girl’s back is to me. Her long blonde hair sways as she reaches up on her tippy toes, clutching the back of a dark head of hair. Strong inked hands grapple at the small of her back before sliding lower. He pulls her in with a deep, guttural groan that shoots straight to my dick, and I suck in a breath.

He freezes.

Water drips from my fingers, the sound drowned out by my heart as it lodges itself somewhere up in my throat. Tension thick enough to spark settles around us as wide, familiar eyes lift to collide with mine in the mirror.

That ancient voice is back, chanting senseless things it has no right to as I tell myself to look away. But I am as much a captive to that voice as I am to the bright hazel gaze looking back at me. The gaze he can’t seem to tear away any more than I can, even as his hands slowly fall away from the girl in his arms.

Even as she continues to grab and pull and assault at his mouth in fluttery gasps and wet smacks.

Even as the world narrows down to just us.

And it makes me wonder, Does he hear that voice too?

Everything else falls away—the girl between us, the people outside these four walls, what happened last winter and why I came back here...